Stripped
by Kloudy Reignfall
Summary: Sometimes it takes an outside force to help you finally realize things. Gravitation may be strong, but some emotions are overpowering... shounenai, multiple pairings, rating may change, and all that good stuff...
1. Stripped: Part One

_Sometimes it takes an outside force to help you finally realize things. Gravitation is strong, but some emotions are overpowering…_

Stripped - by Kloudy Reignfall

Summary: As the band Nittle Grasper begins to fade into the background, new competition arises for Bad Luck. And its name is - Christina Aguilera?! She and her music are having a strange effect on the Gravitation cast, bringing to light doubts and forgotten emotions. It seems like trouble, but perhaps it's just what is needed to help them finally realize…

WARNINGS!: So, obviously this is semi-AU. (Really, what's the chance of Christina Aguilera actually showing up in Grav?) And it might end up being a little (or maybe even a lot, who knows?) OOC.

I called it a "Romance/Angst" mostly because there wasn't an option that said "All." It was originally supposed to be partially humor, but oh well. I plan to let this story go where it takes me. It'll probably have a little bit of everything. (Expect a ton of Drama, Romance, and likely Angst. But still some humor, don't worry too much.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gravitation or Christina Aguilera. In fact, I own very little. I have nothing against Christina Aguilera (if I did, I certainly wouldn't be listening to her music).

This is the absolute weirdest idea I've ever had! And that's saying something! Well, that's what I get for listening to the Stripped album after reading Grav fan fiction.

Anyway… Read on, dear fans!

Track One - Stripped Part One (The introduction)

All was well in the Shindou household. People were minding their own business, and not annoying anyone else. And then a heart-stopping noise was heard.

"OH MY GOD!!!!!!!" and a Fan-girl-ish squeal came from the direction of … Maiko's room.

Shuichi ran out into the living room. "What's wrong?! Who's dying?!"

His mom looked up from the sink smiling lightly, as usual, and said, "Your sister." She continued to do the dishes.

He ran into Maiko's room to investigate.

"Maiko! Are you ok? What's wrong? Where are you hurt?" Shuichi was oddly concerned for his little sister. But when he found her he calmed down a little bit. She was just talking on the phone. Still, he wanted to know what was such a big deal. "Maiko, what's going on?"

She looked up from the magazine she was fawning over. "Christina Aguilera is coming here!!!" she said, while waving the magazine in front of her brother's face.

He grabbed it and scanned the page. It read:

Christina Aguilera, one of America's top pop stars, in going on tour in Japan. Over the past year the star has gained much recognition and a dedicated following in Japan. Women love her for the powerful message she sends to young girls, encouraging them to take a stand and achieve their goals. Men love her for her beautiful voice and stunning looks.

Her scheduled concerts are already sold out across the country. With Christina's popularity on the rise, critics believe that she may soon surpass even Bad Luck on the pop charts. While what exactly will be the outcome is a mystery, there is no denying that Japan is in for some major change at the hands of Christina Aguilera.

He looked up to find Maiko staring at him happily. She sighed. "Christina Aguilera is _so-o-o-o-o _cool! She actually understands what it's like to be a teenage girl in today's oppressive society! And she's so… powerful!" She swooned and fell back onto her pillows. Then she sat up suddenly and gasped. "I have to go to one of her concerts! I _have_ to see her! Oh my God, I just _have_ to! Where am I going to get a ticket?!" And she slumped back again, depressed at the thought of not being able to see her idol.

Shuichi finally blinked. All his concern for his sister was gone. _So-o-o-o-o _gone. Out the window, down the drain. It never existed. He was confused and annoyed. "Maiko?! Whatever happened to supporting Bad Luck? I thought _we_ were your idols! I thought we "rocked your lame ass"! And now you're supporting our _rival_?! How could you?!" At choking out this last sentence he began to cry. Pathetic little tears dripped down his face.

As much as Maiko loved Christina Aguilera, she couldn't stand to see her poor older brother cry. "Oh, no! No, I still support you, Shu! And don't worry! She's not really popular enough to be your rival yet!" She tried to consol Shuichi but he still sniffled.

He smiled at her attempt to make him feel better. "Thanks Maiko. I'm just having a bad day."

Maiko frowned. When was he not having a bad day? Something was always bothering him. "Yeah, but you don't usually cry this easily. Well, not unless someone eats the last of the pocky or something. What's the matter? Are you PMSing?"

He laughed and chocked on a sob. "Sorry, I'm just a little stressed lately. About Yuki, you know?"

She sighed and shook her head. Ever since Shuichi had started seeing the moody novelist he came home about once a week, crying his eyes out. And Maiko had been a really big Eiri Yuki fan before this. Now she kinda hated the bastard. (His romance novels were still really great, maybe even better, but the author himself really pissed her off.) Her brother deserved much better treatment than that.

Shuichi kept talking, not really caring if his sister was listening or not. He just had to talk. "There's just so much! I always want to be with him, but he seems like he's ashamed of me or something. And it _really_ hurts to see him act like that! But I keep going back and letting him do it again. I mean, I…I love him." He began to weep again.

"Hmm. You know, that is just the kind of stuff that Christina Aguilera sings! Her songs are _so-o-o-o-o _inspirational!"

'Oh, great,' Shuichi thought. 'I've got her started on _that_ again.' "Why don't you just tell her you're in love?"

Maiko smacked him upside the head. "Oh, shut up you! Anyway, like I said, you shouldn't worry about stupid Yuki. You can get by fine by yourself!"

"Sure…" Shuichi got up off the floor and walked back to his room, nodding to his mom on the way. ("Oh, Shuichi, are you staying the night, sweetie?") He flopped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling fan. Maybe he shouldn't worry about Yuki. Maybe…But he really did love him too much to ever forget about him. And even if it drove him crazy to be with someone who might not love him back, it would be even worse not to be with him.

Shuichi rolled over and curled into a ball. Hugging his pillow and wishing it was something else, he fell into a dreamful sleep.

………………………………............................................................................................................

Shuichi woke to hear new voices floating in from the living room. They sounded familiar but he couldn't put a face to them just yet.

Groggily he pulled himself out of bed and changed clothes. Not caring to comb his hair he pushed into the living room - and stopped to stare wide mouthed at his parent's company.

K, his band's manager, looked up from his tea with a grin. "Oh, good morning, Sleepyhead! It's a good thing you're ready. We were just about to come wake you up!" By 'We' Shuichi knew he meant 'Me and my 44 magnum'.

Shuichi managed to pull his face into the shape of something other than a gaping hole. "Why are _you here_?" Shuichi asked, hoping for his safety's sake that he didn't sound too rude.

K smiled as he explained. "I realized that I didn't have your home phone number when I went to call you at Yuki's, but you weren't there!" He continued to smile, a little too much, making Shuichi glance nervously at K's pocket. "The asshole wouldn't give your number to me, so I just decided to take a drive and come get you."

…Shuichi forced an apprehensive smile to his face. "And where are we going, K?"

He blinked. Smiled again and cocked his head. "Practice, dear Shuichi! You remember what practice is, right?"

And suddenly K's tone of voice made Shuichi remember exactly _why_ K might have been so mad at him today. It _might_ have something to do with the band practice he'd been missing for the past week.

"Heh, heh. Yeah. Practice. I remember _that_…"

K stood. "Good. Now that that's settled, we should be going." He bowed politely to Mr. And Mrs. Shindou and pulled Shuichi out the door by the collar.

It wasn't until they got in the car and down the road that K became his real self again. With a steel barrel to Shuichi's head he said, "Miss another day and I'll use your head as target practice. Okay?"

Shuichi nodded fervently. Although he no longer believed that K would carry through with one of his threats, you could never be too sure. And that cold steel never failed to make him nervous. He sighed relief when K took the gun down and continued down the road.

"Why _have_ you been missing practice anyway?" he asked conversationally. "Sakano's been about to have a cow."

Sighing, Shuichi wondered why he put up with this stuff. Being a vocalist was a hard job. And no privacy either! Everyone always wanted to know what you were up to. He thought about what he'd tell K. He tried to think of the actual reason but found that there wasn't any way to explain it. "I…I just haven't been in the best of moods lately."

K grinned. It might have actually been a smirk, but you couldn't really tell with him. "What, is it that time of the month again?" he asked, definitely now grinning. "It seems like you go through this a lot."

Shuichi growled. "What _is it_ with you people?! I'm not… I'm just… Grr!" He put his head in his hands, trying to think of a way to explain to everybody what he was going through. Nobody ever seemed to understand the stress of his life. "I've been really stressed about everything okay?"

K didn't respond, only laughed quietly, which made Shuichi even angrier. But soon they pulled to a stop and his anger was forgotten.

"Why are we here?" he asked K, looking out the windshield at the building in front of them. It was just a small-ish bar in an area of downtown. On one side was a corner café and on the other, a small family owned bookstore. Shuichi had been to this bar a couple of times, under rather strange circumstances. As he thought about it, that seemed so long ago, but he didn't remember how long it had actually been.

K led the way to the door as he answered Shuichi's question. "Mika rented it out for us for to use for practice. The studio has a termite infestation, but of course you wouldn't know." He cast a glance over his shoulder. "We're here for at least a week."

'It could be worse,' he thought as he followed K into the dark bar. 'Let's just hope everyone's not _too_ mad.'

It was very cold inside. It even looked cold. Everything was elegant: green marble, glass, or polished cherry wood. To the left of the entrance was the bar, behind which stood the bartender, who nodded to them in greeting. To the left was a wide room and about twenty small round tables. Behind those was the stage, upon which the rest of the band sat idly.

They stood when they saw Shuichi. Sakano looked relieved, Suguru's lips twitched into a smile, and Hiroshi stepped hurriedly off the stage to greet him.

"Hey! I'm glad you didn't decide to up and quit the band. We wouldn't be nearly as popular without a singer." He smiled broadly and Shuichi was glad to see that they didn't all hate him at least.

"No, I just-"

He's been about to explain his absence (if anyone, Hiro deserved an explanation) when a greenish-brownish blur launched itself at him.

"HI!" Ryuichi said from atop Shuichi. "Where've ya been? Kumagorou has missed you!" He held the stuffed pink rabbit up to Shuichi's face. "Too bad you've been gone! We've been having a lot a fun while you were away!" Several people rolled their eyes at this. "I've been subbing for you!"

Shuichi sat up and the other fell off of him. He smiled and shook his head. It was amazing that Ryuichi, who was a full-grown and successful adult, could still act like a little child. (And it was amazing how Shuichi could be the exact same when he wasn't wallowing in depression.) But the two of them got along perfectly well and seeing Ryuichi cheered him up immensely.

That was all it took to get him back into the groove. Shuichi and Hiro got back up on stage with Suguru and began the long-awaited practice. Even if it had only been a week since he'd last sang, it felt like forever. It was nice to finally be back to normal again. As he sung, Shuichi's problems seemed to melt away.

………………………………...........................................................................................................

"Okay, let's just try it one more time, and then we can call it a night."

The room was filled with music once again. By now Ryuichi was bored. He'd been told by K that he had to sit down, and stop interrupting Shuichi while he was trying to work. He wasn't even allowed to sing along. So to entertain himself he was quietly playing "I spy" with Kumagorou. He was losing badly, so he glanced around behind him to find something really good.

"I spy with my little eye, something… ooh!" Ryuichi bounced up out of his chair and scurried to the front of the bar where a figure was standing in the shadows. Cautiously he approached it, like a tiger stalking its prey. Or like a curious puppy who'd been beat a few too many times. Whichever you prefer.

"Whoa!" He jumped when the figure moved into the light. It was a… a pretty blonde lady with crimped hair and who was wearing not very much clothing. "Who are you?" he asked, as he got right up in her face. "You're not in the band." Suddenly he turned to the rest of the band who had just finished the song, and shouted. "Hey, we have a visitor!"

Dragging the girl along with him Ryuichi skipped up to the stage where the rest of the people were sitting/standing/leaning. He turned to her. "Introduce yourself!" he said with a grin!

The blonde girl stood there, slightly stunned, but recomposed herself quickly. "My name is Christina Aguilera," she said to nobody in particular. "And you must be Bad Luck."

Now it was the group's turn to be stunned. But only one of them was stunned for the right reason. They thought this girl to be another rabid fan. Usually they didn't go so far as to stalk the band, and it was amazing that one had actually found them in such a random place. But Shuichi's overactive mind pin-pointed the name instantly.

He stood agape, staring at this woman. And then he stuttered. "You…you're Christina Aguilera?!" For a few moments he tried to find something to say, some way to prove that this was in fact his newest possible rival. "Then, um…uh… Then sing!"

Her face stayed blank as she walked up to the other vocalist. "You're a cutie," she said to him. "All that voice comes from you? Hmm. What's your name?"

As always when his talent was questioned, Shuichi was outraged. And loud. "I'm Shuichi Shindou, and this is my _chart-topping_ band, Bad Luck!"

"And who are you all?" Christina asked. She pointed in turn to the others as they introduced themselves. Suguru and Hiro were obviously apprehensive, Sakano shook and stuttered, and K glared at her, untrusting. Then Ryuichi bounced back up to her.

"Hi! I'm Ryuichi! And this is Kumagorou," he said, gesturing to the pink stuffed bunny he constantly carried.

"Nice to meet you," she said to Ryuichi before turning back to Shuichi. "Okay, Shuichi Shindou, I'll sing for you. Tomorrow night, right here. I'll sing for you."

And with a mischievous smile, a glint in her eyes, she turned and walked out, leaving everyone staggered, except Ryuichi who had followed her out the door.

All was quiet for a moment. And then came the mousiest noise they'd ever heard. "Sh-Shindou, what was that?" Sakano whispered.

Quite the contrary to Sakano's whisper, Shuichi let loose a howl not unlike a banshee. "WHY?! WHY ME?" he cried as he sank dramatically to his knees.

They all blinked down at the pathetic ball of pinkish something writhing on the floor.

"So, see you all tomorrow?" Hiro asked. They all muttered in agreement and went their ways. Stooping down, Hiro half picked up Shuichi and proceeded to drag the bundle of sobbing mess to his car.

Finally when they were standing outside Yuki's apartment Shuichi stopped crying enough for Hiro to ask what was going on.

It almost looked like he'd let loose a flood again, but Shuichi held it in. He just let himself look slightly depressed instead. "Oh. Well, she's famous and she's probably going to take over our spot as chart toppers." He explained this rather calmly for having been so erratic only moments before.

Hiro finally looked like he understood. But instead of looking angry or nervous, he just smiled, typical Hiro. "I guess that means we'll just have to show her up then, right?"

Shuichi nodded and unlocked the apartment door. "Don't forget, okay?" Hiro called as Shuichi stepped inside. He closed the door and sat down on the couch, sighing and thinking about how much his life sucked sometimes. But before he even had time to form one coherent thought, Yuki appeared in the living room.

Looking up from the spot on the floor at which he'd been staring, Shuichi saw what he thought had to be the most wonderful sight ever. Yuki stood there, looking rather unkempt in just a pair of gray sweatpants and his glasses. His hair needed combing and his eyes were bloodshot, and his smile was hardly noticeable, but Shuichi was awestruck all the same. He squealed and jumped up, glomping the older man enthusiastically. "Yuki, Yuki, Yuki! I'm so glad to see you!"

Yuki smiled, a smile so slight only Shuichi would have been able to tell, and let the pink-haired boy wrap his arms around him and burry his head in his neck. He sat down on the couch and hugged Shuichi to him comfortably. "You're quite enthusiastic tonight," he commented.

"Yeah," Shuichi muttered into Yuki's neck. "I've had a weird day. First K shows up at my house and threatens me to make me go to practice, and then we couldn't get this one song right, and _then_ this beautiful girl shows up and we're all going to watch her sing after practice tomorrow. She's so perfect and she's a singer, too and I'm really kinda scared about her, and" Shuichi continued to mumble semi-incoherently.

He'd only been half listening, but this last part sunk in to Yuki's head. _She's so perfect and she's a singer too._ As he realized what Shuichi had said, his eyes narrowed and he tensed.

Suddenly Shuichi found himself dumped on the floor, Yuki standing angrily over him. "I'm going to bed, so leave me alone." And with that, he stormed off to his room and slammed the door. This left poor Shuichi, totally confused and hurt, to sleep on the couch once more and wonder.

'Why do I always put up with this?' he thought with a sigh. 'Why do I always come back?'

End Track One

Okay, so I left it on a rather sad note, but it's the best place for it.

Anyway, how did you like my first attempt at a Gravitation fic?! I thought it was okay…Better than my other stories anyway. Well, I've already got chapter two written, just to let you know, but I won't post it until I finish writing chapter three. I do this so that I don't give up on it altogether. And I won't post it at all if I don't get enough reviews, so PLEASE review! PLEASE! I love them!

By the way, if any of you have any ideas for me at all, I'd be super glad to hear them! Especially if you think you know what I should classify the story as. (It's not really humor, and it's not really angst, but it's not completely romance…. What do you think?)


	2. Can't Hold us Down!

Sometimes it takes an outside force to help you finally realize things. Gravitation is strong, but some emotions are overpowering…

Stripped - by Kloudy Reignfall

Summary: As the band Nittle Grasper begins to fade into the background, new competition arises for Bad Luck. And its name is - Christina Aguilera?! She and her music are having a strange effect on the Gravitation cast, bringing to light doubts and forgotten emotions. It seems like trouble, but perhaps it's just what is needed to help them finally realize…

Today's music: "Can't hold us down" Christina Aguilera, "Californication" RHCP, "This love" Maroon 5

WARNINGS!: This is probably turning out to be quite a bit angsty-er than I had imagined. And dramatic. ::Sigh:: Maybe I'll change the category to Drama/Angst? But still, it's Christina Aguilera, how can I not have it as humor? Maybe Drama/Humor? But it's romance too! Romance/Angst? I don't know. Damn, they need a "Just read it" category.

DISCLAIMER: Do I really have to go through this?

Ha, I'm so proud of myself for having finished the first chapter! I dunno, maybe it wasn't so great, but you must have thought it was alright at least?

Continue!

Track Two - Can't hold us down!

Shuichi had a pain in his neck from sleeping on the couch again. He should have been used to it, since that's where he slept at least 5 days out of the week, but it always bothered him in the morning. Especially when he had to get up and go to work.

'Ugh, work,' was his only thought as he dragged himself out of bed (or rather, off of the couch) and searched around for something to wear. Many thoughts were running around in his mind, but they were all pushed way back where they wouldn't bother him. Really, there wasn't enough room in his head for all these thoughts.

He found a shirt and a pair of shorts and pulled them on, not caring enough to do anything with his hair, or not being awake enough to notice it. Shuichi was about to walk out the door when a voice stopped him.

"I'm going with you," Yuki told him in a voice that was dangerously blank. He'd actually made an effort to look presentable today, combed his hair and changed clothes, and he looked pretty good.

'I always think he looks good anyway,' Shuichi thought. 'Especially when he's just wearing sweatpants.' He mentally kicked himself for having thought that. 'No, stupid Shuichi! I'm mad at him! Stop thinking like that!' But it was much harder for him to hold a grudge than it was for Yuki.

Without a word more they grabbed their coats and headed silently out the door toward Yuki's car. (He only had one now; he'd sold the others because they were in his way. That's what he said anyway, but people wondered if it wasn't perhaps for another reason, whatever that might be.)

It started to rain on the way. It seemed like the perfect weather to match their moods. They were both too far into their thoughts to worry about the rain though. Shuichi was deep in deliberation about why Yuki had come with him. Yuki _never_ wanted to go anywhere with him, least of all to see him sing. And it wasn't as if they were having a particularly good day with each other. After that …thing last night, Shuichi was amazed that he'd been allowed to stay the night at all. Why had the moody author been so angry with him anyway?

'For once I didn't actually do anything to deserve it,' Shuichi mused as the car sped through the rainy downtown streets. He risked a glance at his lover. Yuki's gaze was cold and distant, and it chilled him more than the droplets of rain, which were coming down harder with every moment.

Shuichi got quickly out of the car as soon as Yuki parked it in front of the bar. He wanted to get inside the warm room where he didn't have to endure the cold stares anymore. He wanted to sing and drown his worries in the music.

Not thinking to hold the door, Shuichi let it slam right into Yuki's face.

"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry, Yuki! I didn't think you were there. I just…I…" Shuichi was silenced by another stare. This one wasn't cold, it was burning with poorly restrained anger, but it was definitely worse than the former. With a nervous laugh he scuttled to the stage and left Yuki to find a corner where he could brood.

Up on the stage Hiroshi was looking at Shuichi curiously. "What was that about?" he asked, meaning the obvious tension between Shuichi and his other half.

Shuichi's shoulders drooped and he sighed. "I don't know. He's mad at me for some reason. And I didn't even do anything this time, really!"

Hiro's eyes narrowed in the direction of Yuki's table. "Hmm…." But he shook his head and hopped back upstage to finish tuning his guitar.

They practiced that day much the same as they did any other day, much the same as they did the day before, except Ryuichi wasn't there, and Shuichi kept glancing nervously at Yuki's corner. He couldn't see Yuki's face and tried to forget about him. 'Let him be mad if he wants!' he thought, but at the same time he couldn't help checking to make sure the writer was still there.

………………………………............................................................................................................

Eight O' Clock was drawing nearer and Shuichi was about to have a nervous fit. He tried to sing to calm himself down, but his voice kept cracking and he forgot the words. Seeing Shuichi like this seemed to make everyone else nervous too. True, things were always bothering Shuichi. He cried more than anyone that any of them had ever met. But hardly ever did he get nervous. So they sat around unable to do anything except wait.

Tohma and Mika showed up not long after Shuichi started hyperventilating. Mika cast her husband a look, practically pleading him to go deal with the panicky teenager and went to talk to her brother, who was still brooding in a dark corner.

"What are you doing here?" she asked conversationally. "Surely not to see a beautiful woman sing?"

Yuki's eyebrows closed together and he shot a mean look at Mika. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I really don't want to talk about it."

Mika sat down beside him and crossed her arms. "Little brother, you are a real pain in the ass sometimes, you know that? Will you _please_ tell me what's going on? It pisses me off to see you in such a foul mood."

The author's gaze unconsciously wandered to Shuichi, who was sitting on the stage, balling. Tohma was kneeling beside him and shaking him by the shoulders. "Shuichi! Calm down! And somebody please tell me, who was the idiot who agreed to have some random girl come sing here tonight?"

"It was Ryuichi," Shu managed to choke out convincingly between sobs. At the moment, Ryuichi was still absent, so he was a logical choice to take the blame.

Mika followed her brother's line of sight. "Ooh! Problems with your little pink girly-boy then?"

Yuki was about to retort with some smart-ass answer when his train of thought was interrupted by a loud voice.

"WE'RE HERE!!!!!"

Ryuichi burst in through the bar door, followed shortly by Christina Aguilera, looking as beautiful as ever. One look made Shuichi sob even harder. Everyone was glaring daggers at the singer girl, but she didn't notice, or didn't care. She just smiled coyly around the room. Her smile widened upon seeing Tohma, who had stood and made toward her. She walked forward and met him halfway.

She stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Christina. And you are…?"

He cocked his head at her. "Tohma," he responded. "Bad Luck's producer." But before he could take her hand he was shoved out of the way.

"I'm Mika," she said plainly as she roughly took Christina's hand. "Tohma's wife."

It was like a silent fight for dominance. The two women traded matching looks of contempt before Christina broke off and sauntered upstage to see to her "band" which had hurried in while she mingled. They were a very professional group, but they didn't look like they knew each other very well, let alone as if they were happy with their jobs. They were just paid to be there.

But something caught her eye that was more interesting than anything going on onstage. She stepped down and crossed the room to introduce herself to another new face.

Yuki had been watching her movements with narrowed eyes since she had walked into the room. And now she was coming towards him. He straightened up as she approached.

Leaning on the table, Christina smiled at her prey. "I don't think I've met you before," she said.

"No, you haven't," Yuki replied icily.

"You must be…" Christina stared at him for a moment, and then noticed his averted eyes. She followed their gaze to the stage where Shuichi was gathering something up. "Ah. You must be Yuki."

Their visual duel was much like the one with Mika, but this time Christina won. Yuki turned his head, trying to suppress a shiver. Christina smirked and walked away, satisfied with her victory. It was only one small battle, but it would be imperative to the war she quietly began.

Yuki shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Why had he looked away from her? It should have been the other way around! He was well known amongst this crowd for his iron death glare, one that very few people could stand for long. But he'd not been able to look into the eyes of this girl. He'd been beat! By a woman! And a slutty whore at that! And she was short! Shorter even than Shuichi. And the clothes she wore! They would have looked better on his lover too. And… With every passing moment he hated this girl more. He hated her passionately, with every fiber in his body! Yet, there was something strange about her. Something abnormal. She was up to something, and she had told him so with her mischievous gaze. But he couldn't figure it out, not for the life of him. And it left him with an incomplete feeling.

At this point, Shuichi dared to approach his lover. He walked over and carefully sat beside Yuki, apprehensive for fear of being snapped at. But the blonde said nothing, his eyes downcast and a look of consternation on his face. The pink-haired singer decided to be brave. "Yuki? Are you ok?" he asked concernedly, only to be answered by one of the novelist's famous death glares. Shuichi tensed and stuttered, "Um, ok…" and looked away.

Luckily, at that moment, several people entered the bar, and Shuichi took this opportunity to escape the awkward silence.

The three people turned out to have come separately, but he knew them all anyway: Maiko, Noriko, and Tatsuha. He was surprised to see them, since none of them had been expected. Then again, he hadn't been expecting Yuki to come with him, or for Tohma and Mika to arrive. Maybe word got out and they were here for moral support! He greeted them. "Hey. Why are you guys here?"

Tatsuha simply blinked, disinterested, and gave the shortest possible answer ("Hiro told me.") before wandering off.

Noriko was a bit more excited, although that wouldn't have been difficult. "Well, I came for the show of course!" she said with a smile. "I saw Ryuichi following that Christina girl around today and he told me about it." With that, she too walked off, leaving Shuichi with his sister.

She, of course, was hysteric with excitement. "I can't believe Christina Aguilera, my idol, is here! And you know what? She called our house! She wanted to talk to you, but I told her that you pretty much live at Yuki's house now. She told me that she was singing here tonight and that I should come, so I did!" She made a squealing noise like a kitten being stepped on, except it was more pleasant, and less messy. After that she scampered off, more like a squirrel, to the edge of the stage to watch her idol with shojo eyes.

Shuichi shook his head and headed back to Yuki's table, just as depressed as ever. He sat down heavily on one of the cold metal chairs and glanced at his lover. Yuki was staring at the blonde woman upstage with pure untainted hatred, and this much was obvious to Shuichi. That look… it ran a chill down his spine, it was that powerful.

"…Yuki." Shuichi whispered the author's name, trying to catch his attention. Yuki turned his head to meet the pink-haired boy, his eyes almost softening, but before he could say anything a powerfully eerie noise overtook their senses.

The artificial band struck at cords and keys beautifully, and the music was soon accompanied by a sound unlike they had ever heard. Christina, eyes closed and head raised, released a whispering senseless song from her over-glossed lips. She vocalized wordlessly, her voice raising and falling in a waterfall of emotion.

The spectators watched silently, eyes wide, mouths slightly agape. This music was unearthly, unheard of, and surely could not have come from a mere mortal? It was…

Yuki snapped out of the trance, and glanced sidelong at his little lover. Shuichi's eyes, full of unbound emotion, were glued to the blonde singer. A slight murmur escaped his lips. "She's so… beautiful, and perfect," he said with a tiny sigh.

Yuki's eyes narrowed once again in anger at the boy beside him. He… had Shuichi really just said that? Hurt danced with the anger. Yes, he had. Horrible tears threatened to run free, a lovechild of the anger and hurt that leapt about his mind. But he held them back with a scowl and pained glance at his… lover. He rose quickly from his seat and jostled past Shuichi as Christina's vocalizing became an upbeat song, wordy and with a clear message.

So what, am I not supposed to say what I'm saying?  
Are you offended with the message I'm bringing?  
Call me whatever 'cause your words don't mean a thing.  
Guess you ain't even a man enough to handle what I sing!

Take a deep breathe and say it loud,  
Never can, never will,  
Can't hold me down!

And at the absence of the eerie vocals, and the slam of the door as Yuki left, the various watchers came back to consciousness. Shuichi looked around frantically, not quite sure what had happened, why or where Yuki had gone. A small gasp and he bounded out the door after him.

End Track Two

Ahh, leaving on another sad note. That seems to be the best way to leave it. I'll try to stop with the semi-cliffies.

So, that chapter wasn't so bad. It was a lot shorter than chapter one though! ::cries:: So did you like it? Please please please review for me! I swear, not getting reviews makes me just want to stop writing… ::sob:: Well, I'm in a rather dramatic mood at the moment, aren't I?

Anyway, review please, and give me suggestions and comments and all that. (Really, I love suggestions!)

Hope you all come back for the next chapter! Write more Gravi fics! Leave more reviews! Tell all your friends! Yay!


	3. Walk Away

_Sometimes it takes an outside force to help you finally realize things. Gravitation is strong, but some emotions are overpowering…_

**Stripped **- by Kloudy Reignfall

Summary: As the band Nittle Grasper begins to fade into the background, new competition arises for Bad Luck. And its name is - Christina Aguilera?! She and her music are having a strange effect on the Gravitation cast, bringing to light doubts and forgotten emotions. It seems like trouble, but perhaps it's just what is needed to help them finally realize…

Today's music: "Walk away" Christina Aguilera, DDR, and some Gravitation Japanese techno.

WARNINGS!: Same as ever before. ::Sigh:: This story confuses even me. I don't know how best to describe it or how to classify it and I don't even have time to write it! (I hate school.)

DISCLAIMER: ::In monotone:: Not mine. Damn.

So, I'm finally on the third chapter. Ah, this chapter is… a necessary evil. I don't want to write it. It's just a lot of complaining, fights and mushy angst. But hey, I guess we'll see how it turns out.

Go.

Track Three - Walk Away

Yuki stormed out of the bar, nearly blind with rage and pent-up frustration. He angrily held back the tears that fought fervently to surface. Pacing for several seconds, he decided to go to his car. Home, that was where he wanted to be. In the comfort of his own home, far from sluttish blondes or stupid pink-haired singers!

Speaking of, as Yuki reached for the car door handle he heard a shrill voice call his name.

"Yuki! Wait up Yuki!"

The vocalist was running up to him, clearly desperate to talk. But talking was really one of the last things he wanted to do at the moment. It was nestled right there between painting his fingernails flamboyant green, moving back into his father's house, and going on romantic date with Tohma. Choosing to ignore Shuichi, he yanked the door open and slid inside, slamming the car door beside him. But his little lover was not so easily defeated, and proved so by bouncing into the seat beside Yuki, demanding to know what was wrong. (Although demanding might have been a bit strong a word for such a person.)

The author responded with a low grunt and mean glance. He turned his eyes to the front, avoiding Shuichi and hoping he might go away. But Shuichi didn't go away; nor did he stop talking. He was, as usual, vocal with fervent concern for the way Yuki had been acting. "Yuki, what's wrong? Why did you run out back there? Why are you ignoring me? What did I do? Are you alright?"

Ignoring the annoying boy beside him wasn't working. Annoyed, Yuki lashed out at Shuichi rudely. "What is wrong with you, you annoying brat?! Don't you understand that I want to be alone? I don't want to talk to you!" All the same, even if the singer had planned on giving in and letting Yuki alone, he couldn't have; the car was speeding down the road, dodging pedestrians like road-kill in South Georgia, all the while his eyes half on the object of his outburst.

As much as this worried Shuichi, it also angered him. For once he really hadn't done anything, he was sure, and yet Yuki was acting as if it was the end of the world! And what exactly was he so upset about anyway? His confusion made him scared and angry, and instead of backing down and sitting quietly (which would have been the smart choice, what with Yuki driving crazily as he was), Shuichi rose to the challenge.

"Yuki, I don't understand why you always have to be so mean to me! I never do anything to hurt you and you're still always so angry! I don't get it. Don't you want to be with me anymore?" Shuichi's eyes were welling up with salty tears, making his eyes sting. He sat sideways on the seat, gazing hopefully at his lover, waiting expectantly for an answer, maybe an apology.

The author's face twitched in agitation. He tried to control his rampant emotions, but he felt them spilling quickly over the edges of the high icy walls he put up around him. Making use of his common sense, he jerked over to the side of the road and stopped the car. By now he was shaking with rage, his feelings having been pent up for too long. He faced he boy beside him. "How dare you act like you don't know what I'm talking about?! Where do you get off playing the victim all the time?! You act like you're the only one who ever has problems, and you say you're always true to me. But you're nothing more than a liar! And you don't even have the decency to hide it! You really -" He caught himself, about to say more than he meant to. Already, he'd said too much, but it was too late to take it all back, and even if he could he wouldn't. What he said was true and there was no denying it.

Shuichi stared helplessly while Yuki yelled at him, tears dripping down his face, forgotten in the shock of his lover's outburst. Yuki hardly ever yelled, hardly ever said more than a consecutive few sentences. Shuichi took in all that was said, and it slowly registered in his brain.

Victim? Liar? Hide? Hide _what_? There was nothing to hide. All of the singer's emotions were out in the open, exposed for the whole world to see. Still, Yuki thought he was concealing something. He didn't trust him.

Both men were in hysterics, the writer writhing in anger and the vocalist shaking with confused tears. The two tried to make sense of the other, but they only confused each other more. Neither would listen, as stubborn as they were. They would believe what they would. And right now they both believed that they had been forgotten in their lover's heart, though it wasn't what they wished.

Shuichi stuttered, making one last attempt at reconciling their relationship. "Yuki, I-" But Yuki's eyes hardened, still miraculously free of the tears that still threatened to run freely. He grabbed the boy by the wrist to stop his fidgeting.

"I'm done talking to you. Go. I don't want to hear from you again!" And with that he shoved Shuichi hard against the door of the car. The boy pulled accidentally on the handle and fell roughly onto the curb of the sidewalk. Without a second glance, Yuki slammed the passenger side door and drove off, leaving his lover to stare after him, sobbing and begging to wake up from this horrible dream.

………………………………..................................................................

Not long after Yuki and Shuichi stormed out the door people had begun to regain their senses. Christina's powerful voice faded and Hiro had shook his head, wondering what had just happened. Yuki had run out the door, looking impossibly angry as usual, and Shuichi had followed him. Hiro sighed. This was getting to be a common thing. Not the pretty female singers of course, but Yuki and Shu's arguments. It was amazing that they put up with each other.

Anyway, after the two drama queens left it had seemed that the party was over. Paying no attention to Christina, and forgetting the spell-like trance he had just been in, Hiro had gathered up his stuff to go home.

So now he was back at his apartment, rummaging in the kitchen for a drink. "Hey," he called to the living room. "You want something to drink?"

A calm voice floated in from off the couch. "Sure," Tatsuha yelled back.

Hiro grabbed up two cold drinks from the fridge and walked back into the living room. The monk was sprawled casually on his sofa, stretched out comfortably. He sat up and moved a little to the side to make room for Hiro, who sat down carefully and handed Tatsuha a drink.

Tatsuha smiled in thanks, took the drink, set it down on the table beside him, and turned to Hiro, looking at him curiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Hiro blinked and shook his head. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing…"

The young monk smirked, looking far too knowledgeable for someone so young. Hiro wondered at that, how Tatsuha, who was only seventeen, always seemed to know what was going on. Not just in the world around him, but in others' minds. "Something's not bothering you?"

Lying to him didn't sound like a good idea, Hiro thought. He'd always know he was lying. But to answer his question truthfully was difficult. Something definitely _was_ bothering him. A multitude of things, actually. His work, as usual, was a tick in his mind. And the typical annoyance of Shuichi's mental instability, although he was used to that by now. Along with those and the other things he had to contend with in his daily life were the fights he'd been having with his family lately. And of course there was Tatsuha…

But how to explain this all without giving too much away?

His silence prompted an all-knowing sigh from Tatsuha, a whisper of frustration. "If you want to do something about your problems, you have to admit them first," he told the long haired guitarist.

Hiro gnawed thoughtfully on his lip. Perhaps he should open up to Tatsuha. After all, the boy had been a good friend lately, very cordial and open since he first began talking to him. He always had something smart or comforting to say about Hiro's problems. Not to mention the fact that he was frighteningly intuitive. Maybe he really could tell Tatsuha about these problems. And he didn't have to say _all_ that was on his mind. He could conveniently leave out anything having to do with the monk himself. Which, Hiro admitted to himself, _was_ a rather large part of his problems. And yet he couldn't bring himself to that topic yet.

That having been said, Hiro was no farther along in his dilemma than before. He'd been about to excuse himself to the bathroom or something, just to get away from Tatsuha's stares, when the doorbell rang. Hiro sighed with relief at such a suitable distraction, one that wasn't even suspicious.

He stood up to answer the door, wondering who would be calling on him so late at night, because by now it was already past 11. He wasn't surprised when he found Shuichi on the other side.

Wordlessly he greeted the singer and steered him over to the couch he'd been occupying moments ago. Tatsuha had seated himself in a chair across the room.

Shuichi was very pale and soaking wet. Hiro only just noticed that it was storming outside. The street below them was silver with dancing rain. How far had Shuichi walked in this? The pink haired boy was shivering violently and sniffling. He sat down beside him.

"Shuichi? What happened?" he asked in a calming tone. Although he was sure he knew already. What else could it have been beside another fight with his lover? This happened pretty regularly. At least once a month he'd come crying to Hiro's door, sobbing about how Yuki had kicked him out, called him distracting or annoying. How this was going to be the last time. It was _always_ going to be the last time…

The boy beside Hiro sniffled again, either from the wetness or his crying. It was hard to tell if he really had been crying or not, since his cheeks were damp with rainwater. But knowing him, there definitely had been some waterworks. Shuichi coughed and looked up at Hiro with pitiful violet eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hiro," he whispered. "I shouldn't have come here. I'm always bothering you…"

Hiro pat his friend's back reassuringly as a silent sign that it was alright.

"It's just that… Yuki…" Shuichi began to cry again, little quiet sobs that were really far more pathetic than his usual loud cries. Perhaps because normally his crying was so annoying, you could learn to ignore it quickly, brushing it off with little sympathy for the singer. But the silent little gasps that came from him now were so unlike normal that it pained Hiro to see them come from his little friend.

Shuichi took a deep breath. "I don't know what to do, Hiro. It's always like this! He'll snap at me, I'll cry, and I'll end up here. But… it was different this time! I think he really meant it this time…"

The vocalist choked on a cough and sniffled miserably. Hiro reached out to push his friend down onto the couch, hoping he could get him to rest a bit; it sounded like he was catching cold. But Shuichi looked straight up into Hiro's eyes, an intensity in them much different from his usually vividness, and he stopped dead.

Shuichi spoke with a slightly raspy voice, tears still streaming from his eyes, though they were wide and bright, not full of sorrow but a self-degrading confusion. "He said… he called me a liar. He said I was untrue, that I was hiding things from him. But I'd never do that! Hiro, you know I'd never do that! I love Yuki!"

He coughed again and drew his knees up into his chest. "He seemed so angry. It was like he wouldn't listen to anything I said. I made him so angry… I have to apologize. I have to go back to him." Shuichi said this but made no move to get up from his fetal position on the couch. "But I can't go back to him 'cause it's always the same, and I'm so tired. Hiro, what am I gonna do? I can't live without Yuki, but I can't go back to him. I'll die Hiro. Hiro, what am I going to do…?" He managed to yawn and cough at the same time as he reached out to Hiro and snuggled into the sofa cushions, his nonsensical mumbling growing quieter.

Hiro took Shuichi's small hand in his own. It was so cold. He rubbed it gently and patted the boy's head. "It's ok Shuichi. Just go to sleep, ok? I'll fix everything." He went into the hallway and came back with a thick blanket to cover his friend. He tucked it around him protectively.

"I'm wondering if I should be jealous." Tatsuha spoke from the other ride of the room.

Hiro had actually forgotten about him in the midst of Shuichi's drama. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just, Shuichi, you know, he…-"

"It's okay." Tatsuha smiled knowingly. "I understand."

Laughing at his good luck, Hiro glanced around distractedly for his keys. "I… I have to go out for a while. Get him some medicine… Are you staying here?"

Tatsuha nodded. "I'll watch him."

Flashing a grateful smile, Hiro grabbed his wallet and keys from the table, stuffed them in his jacket and hurried out the door.

After getting over the initial shock of seeing Shuichi somber instead of crying hysterically, Hiro became increasingly angry. Yuki had hurt Shuichi yet again. He'd hurt him over and over, countless times before. But this was going to be the last time. Shuichi should never have to take that kind of mental abuse. And he was going to make sure that Yuki knew it.

Nobody had the right to do that to his honest, innocent Shuichi.

End Track Three

Dude, I am _so_ done! So-o-o-o-o done! It took me forever to write that! And although I surely could have written more and/or made that last part a heck of a lot better, there's just no way in Hell I'm writing more for this chapter. Nope, no way.  
Ah, damn. The next chapter's gonna suck too. Wah! I want to get to the good stuff! Chapter six will be ok. I'll like eleven for sure. Absolutely dying to write chapter fifteen! But up next is chapter four… Hopefully it won't take me as long to write that one.  
Whew! You don't know how wonderful it feels to finally be done with that! Maybe I can go work on that Demon Diary fic that everyone seems to like so much. Or maybe my DNAngel fic. Yeah, that should be fun. God, it's finally over!  
If you can't tell, I'm not too fond of this chapter. So, how 'bout you review and make me feel better! Even if it sucked, and even if you happen to agree with me, it's ok. I neeeeeeeeed reviews! ::Grin::  
(::Thinks:: Okay, so I did like a few things about this chapter. I think the first half was eloquent enough, since I wrote it all in one night. And I rather like Hiro in mother-hen mode Yes, it's just protectiveness. He's not in love with Shu, as much as I happen to like that pairing lately. And we have Tatsuha! Yay! And he's being helpful! Imagine that! …Wow, it's late. Time to go to bed. ::yawn:: )

-Kloudy Reignfall


	4. Fighter

Sometimes it takes an outside force to help you finally realize things. Gravitation is strong, but some emotions are overpowering…

Stripped - by Kloudy Reignfall

Summary: As the band Nittle Grasper begins to fade into the background, new competition arises for Bad Luck. And its name is - Christina Aguilera! She and her music are having a strange effect on the Gravitation cast, bringing to light doubts and forgotten emotions. It seems like trouble, but perhaps it's just what is needed to help them finally realize…

Today's music: "Fighter" Christina Aguilera, and a bunch of other random stuff

WARNINGS: Always the same, you know, if you've read the previous chapters.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gravitation? Oh, I don't, do I? Damn. Lol oh well.

Yay, I'm sohappy! I'm posting something after such a long time!I finished it! Well, this chapter anyway. Geez, I'm so slow. Oh, but I'm so sorry to anybody who was waiting for me! I don't know what came over me, I was in a major major slump for the past few months! I wrote a couple little things, but I couldn't bring myself to work on any of my stories or anything:Sob: Anyway, here you have the elusive forth chapter of Stripped, so feel free to read (and review!) Go on!

Track Four - Fighter

The couch. What a lovely invention, Yuki thought. He'd have liked to thank the person who thought up such a comforting piece of furniture, if not for the fact that the person was likely dead by now. But really, it was a very nice thing. Always there for you when you've had a bad day, always there to comfort you with its completely inanimate cushions. Yes, Yuki was rather fond of his couch at the moment.

He unlocked the door to his apartment, stepped inside, dumped his jacket off, and slammed the door. Then he proceeded to visit his new best friend, the couch. Propping his rain-soaked feet up on the opposite armrest, Yuki leaned back and tried to melt into the pillows. No melting occurred. He remained in a solid, if slightly soggy, state. Despite his wishes, he could not become one with the pillows and they would not open up and swallow him. He lay there still, staring up at the very blank ceiling and trying desperately _not_ to think.

This plan wasn't working either. His ever-active mind _had_ to think of _something_! Whether it was of the horrid weather, the crumbly-looking stuff on his ceiling, or the queer feeling in his stomach didn't matter. But his brain would not shut down just now, not while it was reeling with so much activity.

Yuki's stomach made a funny noise. Really, the noise it made was less amused and more irritated, so perhaps the word for it should be strange. Or weird. His stomach made a _peculiar _noise. The noise, whatever type of noise it was, matched the feeling of his stomach. It was not at all pleasant, and yet it was not at all familiar either. Typically, Yuki's stomach was known to make angry noises and feel rather upset at times, either from unhealthy alcohol consumption or perhaps lack of food. But this was neither of those, he was sure. This was something else entirely. And _this_ feeling was much like the feeling in the rest of his body, particularly his mind.

Shoving the topic from his train of thought, Yuki looked at the ceiling. Yes, it was… white. Maybe a light gray. And it was very… boring. He couldn't help it when his mind wandered back to the troublesome thoughts he meant to forget.

Why! Yuki thought, finally succumbing to the pull of worry, regret, and aimless anger. Why had it all happened this way? Why, why, why! Dammit, why! What had he done to deserve such a cruel twist of fate? He skillfully ignored the angel on his shoulder with its full list of reasons why he deserved no less than to burn in hell. He knew that no matter what immoral or bad things he'd done in his life, he was generally a good guy. And he'd been pretty good to Shuichi…

Ach, there was that name. That name! Oh, it drove him crazy! That boy was horrible, Yuki thought to himself. Yes, that boy was annoying, and a pain, and… and he was… bad…

The author tried to convince himself that Shuichi was evil. And that simple concept wasn't all too hard to grasp. But when it came around to the exact reason, well that was another matter. Sure, maybe the horrible boy deserved everything that came his way. But nobody deserved something without reason. And Yuki, in his logical mind, could not find the reason. Not one little reason.

This was driving him crazy. He could not go on thinking this way. Forcing himself to think of something else, anything else, he picked up the television remote and flipped through channels of meaningless nothing. He stopped on one of several music channels and suppressed an emotionally charged shudder.

As luck would have it, there was a Bad Luck music special on. From the whole 5 seconds of it that Yuki watched, he saw that it was a basic outline of the band's rise to stardom. He changed it quickly before the show brought up any matters more personal than the group's discography.

Switching off the TV and glancing around the room, Yuki decided that nothing in his house was ultimately safe to look at. Everything within sight either belonged to the pink-haired idiot or reminded the author if him. Rather angrily, he sat up and began to wonder where he last saw his two other favorite comrades, nicotine and alcohol. Realizing there was none of either left in the house, he stood wearily to find his keys.

As he stooped to pick up his discarded jacket, Yuki heard the knock on the door. Knock may not have been the appropriate word, however. The sound echoing off the wooden door was more of a disgruntled pounding. Regardless of what the sound was, there was no doubt in the author's mind that the sound was the direct product of human force. And why was there a human applying any sort of force to his door at 11:something at night?

He thought quickly of the possibilities. Who would _ever_ come to his door? Well, Tohma for one. Mizuki also liked to grace him with surprise visits. Shuichi was an obvious choice. Perhaps Tatsuha. But Tohma knew better than to bother his brother-in-law at such an hour. His editor, presumably, had a life of her own and wouldn't consider bothering Yuki at this time of night. Shuichi… well that "knock" was definitely too aggressive to have been from the young vocalist, no matter how unhappy he'd been last time they'd seen each other. So, the only one left was Tatsuha.

He moved to open the door and then a thought struck him. Tatsuha wouldn't knock. He had a key of his own. So who…?

Yuki was tempted to just sit back down and pretend he wasn't home. Maybe then the offensive knocker would go away. But the door was assaulted with a fresh barrage of pounding. Sighing in exasperation, he slowly walked the last couple feet to the door and pulled it cautiously open.

It was a bit of a surprise to find Hiro standing there, although he knew he should have been expecting it. Who else would come to his door the night he had a quarrel with his… lover? He'd done it once or twice before, although the circumstances had been different. But why was he here now? What the hell reason did Hiro think he had to invade Yuki's personal business? Well, he was about to get an earful.

…Or so he thought. However, the long-haired guitarist simply stood there in the open doorway, a look of contempt upon his face. But really, Yuki didn't expect anything other than that. To be truthful, Yuki hadn't expected anything. His mind was in too much disarray to function properly enough to be expectant. Though it was functioning properly enough to tell him that it wasn't usually a good thing to leave someone standing in the doorway. Therefore, the options were as thus:

a. Invite Hiroshi Nakano into his home.  
b. Politely ask Hiroshi Nakano to leave immediately.  
c. Act on instinct and quickly slam the door in Hiroshi Nakano's pretty face.

Choices, choices. Now, the first one didn't sound too appeasing. Neither did the last choice seem like a good idea. And, alas, Yuki didn't feel in the least like being polite, so the second option was ruled out too. That being the case, he opted for the improvisional "choice d".

With a 'politely' muttered "excuse me", Yuki attempted to slide past the solid human obstruction of his doorway, still planning to go out and get himself some smokes. But he was stopped by a very solid appendage in his way; an arm to be exact. Hiro's arm, to be even more exact. And it didn't look as if it were going to move. This was very disheartening to Yuki. He blinked at Hiro with an incredibly pathetic look on his face. He'd been going for 'menacing' but this seemed to be the only look he could muster since he got home.

Hiro tactfully ignored this look. Finally, he spoke, and when he did it was slow and deliberate. "I'm having a hard time not beating you to death. And I should. You know how many times I've warned you not to hurt Shuichi again."

This seemed to knock a little bit of Yuki's usual temper back into him. The sound of that name! _Shuichi._ Ugh! And before he knew it, he was nearly back to his normal bastard self, defending his actions with cold eyes and a cynical hint to his voice.

"It's not my fault. I didn't do or say anything that brat didn't deserve! If he's alone and crying it's his own damn fault!" Yuki folded his arms and turned away from Hiro, frowning, not wanting to have to look him in the face, especially when he was so unsure as to if what he'd just said was true at all. Sure, he could believe it was true, but did it really feel that way? And there it was, back to the beginning again, back to not having a reason to hate.

"It's hard for me to believe anybody could be so heartless," Hiro spat. "Shuichi never deserves any of the things you tell him! He never does anything but love you, and I never understand why, and all you do is yell at him constantly for no good reason at all."

This pissed Yuki off to no end. "No reason? What would you know? I have a reason for everything I say to that brat! I'm not the one who-"

But Hiroshi interrupted him, not being in the mood to listen to his bullshit. "My best friend is back at my house, crying his eyes out and sick too, because you don't care enough not to push him out into the rain. And he's been working like crazy this whole week, trying to get past a deadline. And then that stupid Christina chick shows up and adds even more pressure to his life. He's so afraid of her, he's been worried sick that she's going to be competition and end up taking our spot on the charts. And then he has to deal with _you_ being such a _dick_ and all…!"

"Hey, I-!" But Yuki didn't have a chance to protest or defend himself for several reasons. First, Hiroshi was no longer standing in the doorway; he'd turned heel and left after saying what he needed to. It would have been unnecessary for him to stay any longer, it would have just caused trouble. So he'd left. Yuki, however, was still standing in the doorway looking dumbstruck.

You see, in a rare flash of understanding, he'd just had an epiphany of sorts. He hadn't been fully listening to whatever it was Hiro had been yelling at him, just hoping that it'd be over soon. But something the boy had said sank in, albeit a little bit late. It was too bad Yuki hadn't realized this earlier, but that was the way of the world for him. _Fate hates me,_ he thought bitterly.

So… Shuichi was _afraid_ of this Christina whore then? What! But that didn't make any sense. Yuki very clearly recalled the pervious night. Shuichi had said… Well, _what_ was it he'd said again? Something about Christina being beautiful, talented and perfect, wasn't it? _Maybe I should have paid better attention. I guess that's what got me into this damn mess in the first place. _He sighed in frustration. This was all so confusing, but now that he thought about it, what Hiro said really did make sense. Shuichi wasn't in love with this girl, he was just scared that she was going to be better than him.

Yuki laughed under his breath. He should have known that it would turn out to be something like this. Shuichi always worried about little things. Then again, so did Yuki, even if he didn't really realize it.

Rubbing his head, as if to massage his aching brain, Yuki closed and locked the front door, then trudged into the bedroom. He fell down upon his comforting bed, an invention that was even better than the couch, he decided. As he let himself fall to sleep, he resolved to head over to Hiro's house in the morning and pick up the brat. They'd have a conversation and get everything straightened out. But for now, he was far too mentally exhausted to worry himself with the finer details.

**End Track Four **

Yay, I'm done! But this chapter felt… a little weird. It was a little tiny bit too short too, I think. Oh well. I'll just go on to the next one, and maybe it'll be better. But I still feel that I'm a slump. So, sorry if I don't get another chapter out for a while. But hopefully I'll finish the next ones faster than this. Reviews always help speed the process along, hint hint.  
Oh, and I'd like to give a big giant huge enormous thanks to all of my reviewers! 'Cuz if I didn't get any reviewers I wouldn't have a reason to write, and I really love to write, as little evidence as I show for it. So, Thank you all! You're all wonderful!  
-Kloudy Reignfall


End file.
